‘Scarface’ achieves cult status with Al Pacino in starring role
When Scarface premiered in 1983, starring Al Pacino as a Cuban drug trafficker in South Florida, the movie was regarded as a flop. That didn’t surprise Pacino. “The whole film was a blatant indictment of the 1980s, and it went against the status quo — the ‘Just Say No’ campaign of Nancy Reagan and the establishment of the time,” he writes in his new memoir, Sonny Boy. “It certainly didn’t fit into the Hollywood mold either.” In the memoir, Pacino calls the movie a “flop — not commercially, but critically. Artistically. Spiritually.” Pacino’s book begins with his difficult upbringing in New York City, where ...
Learn MoreJohn Gotti’s takedown detailed in new Netflix series
A three-part docuseries now available on Netflix examines the dramatic rise and fall of Gambino crime family boss John Gotti…
Learn MoreEighty-two years ago this month, Murder Inc.’s Abe Reles took a mysterious fall
Abraham “Kid Twist” Reles’ damning testimony assisted in taking down some of the most vicious Mob enforcers during the sensational…
Learn MoreMobsters blamed for Election Day violence in New York City 90 years ago
Before a hotly contested battle for the New York mayor’s office culminated in a big win for a “law and…
Learn MoreClassic Mob movie ‘Mean Streets’ celebrates 50th anniversary
Martin Scorsese’s Mean Streets, released in October 1973, is regarded as a classic crime drama, depicting a New York City…
Learn MoreDefiance of Kefauver Committee put Frank Costello behind bars for 14 months
When New York underworld boss Frank Costello famously walked out while being questioned by the Kefauver Committee in 1951, he…
Learn MoreTod Goldberg’s Mob trilogy concludes with ‘Gangsters Don’t Die’
The third novel in a Mob trilogy by author Tod Goldberg was released in September, completing the tale of a…
Learn MoreThe fall of Salvatore Maranzano, and the rise of the new Mafia
The autocratic reign of self-proclaimed boss of all bosses Salvatore Maranzano came to a bloody end 92 years ago this…
Learn More